Speed regulator



17, 1939 I HQWARD 2,176;739

' SPEED REGULATOR Filed Dec. 17, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I lg l7 6 63 as ea 65 INVENTOg' a Oct. 17, 1939. G. E. HOWARD SPEED REGULATOR Filed Dec. 17, 1937 m I 1. ,W

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 IN NTOR Patented Oct. 17,1939

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE seen!) nncn'na'roa George E. Howard, Butler, Pa. Application December 1'1, 1937, Serial No. 180,295

11 Claims.

My invention relates to speed regulators and more particularly to those of the type employed for'governing the speed of motor vehicles or the speed of their motors.

a Governors of forms heretofore employed objectable inthat they usually 'havedirect connection with a throttle valve that controls ad mission of the explosive mixture to the motor, and they usually so operate that the range of their control is over a spread of five to ten miles per hour variation; For-example, ifa centrifugal governor is set to prevent the motor running at a speed which will move'the vehicle faster than 50 miles per hour, upon deceleration through 15 contractive movement-:Ofjhe=governor, the rate v of vehicle-travelmay decrease to the extent of perhaps five or ten miles perhour.

Motor vehicles are manually controlled, usually through a foot-actuated throttle. It is desirable in to have quick control of this throttle from closed to open position in order to give quick acceleration especially at low speeds. As the car attains a higher speed and especially when it reaches the maximum allowable speed, it is desirable to have an automatic speed regulator orgovernor to insure keeping within the legal speed. At the maximum speed, the car will not respond so quickly to an increase of power as the momentum .of the car and its parts is such that acceleration is somewhat slower, and this is desirable because sudden acceleration and deceleration take up the lost motion between the driver, which is the englue, and the driven parts, which are the wheels, and cause a jerky motion which is uncomfortable to the driver and hard on the mechanism generally.- This is a reason why in governors, which are directly connected to the throttle, that a considerable range of speed is necessary tov efiect the throttle opening from completely closed to completely open position. Otherwise, if such a governor is arranged so that it makes this complete movement of throttle for a slight difference of speed, the jerky'application and cutting oil of power would cause the objection above 5 named.

Changes in load on a car, as from upgrade to downgrade, wind resistance, etc. are not very sudden, as ordinarily the variable load caused by gravity corresponds to the rise or fall of the roadway, which ordinarily is not sharp. A car will travel a considerable distance for a considerable time at maximum speed with very little change in the load variation. This will be truewhether running on a level or going up or down grades.

as When the ordinary governor, therefore, is used,

are

is indicated by the numeral 8 and is provided called upon to take care the'slight difference in throttle position caused by minor speed-changes, usually is sumcient toaccelerate or-decelerate engine speed. The po- 7 sition of the throttle being roughly proportional limit isn'ot dependent upon the grade, it compels the driver to travel much of the time well below the maximum allowable speed limit and thus lose time and distance.

One object of my invention isto provide means whereby notwithstanding these slight variations of loa changes and speed, a given engine speed will be obtained by the governor at substantially all loads.

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby a sudden motion imparted to the governor, which may be caused by jolting and bumping and not by speed, will not make a correspondingly rapid change in the position of the throttle and a sudden change'of power, thus providing a more stable and smoother operation. These and various other objects are obtained by means of'apparatus-illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is. a side view of an automobile motor equipped with my invention; Fig. 2 is an end view partially in section: Fig. 3 is an enlarged view taken on the line III-III of Fig, 2; Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line IVIV of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing a modification of the apparatus, and Fig. 6 is a view showing still another modified form of the controlling apparatus.

Referring first to .Figs. 1 to 4, the vehicle motor socket connection with a toothed segment l9 that is pivotally mounted on a stud l9 which is carried by the governor casing 29. A spring 2| anchored at one end to the casing and at its other end to the segment I8 serves to yieldably hold the control valve I! in open position, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4. An adiiustabie stud 22 determines the distance which the segment l8 may be turned against the tension of the spring 2| toward valve-closing position.

The governor is driven by a shaft 24 which is here shown as disposed in the motor casing and which may be the usual cam shaft of the motor if control of engine speed is primarily desired. In

cases where a more direct control of vehicle speed is desired, the governor may have driving con-" nection with the speedometer shaft or the transe mission shaft. The shaft 24, through suitablev shaft 29 and has limited rotary or oscillatory movement relative to the plate 34 and the shaft 29, and is provided with a pair of upstanding camming lugs or shoulders 31 which are diametrically opposite to one another. A pair of governor weights 39 are pivotally connected at 39 to the plate 34 and each has a downwardly-extending guide pin or stud extending into an arcuate slot 49. Each of the weight members 39 is held in its contracted position, as shown in ments thereof.

tween the under side of each shoe 49 and a thereof.

Flgs.-3 and 4, by a spring 4|. The inner end of each weight member is connected through a link 42 with the oscillatory camming member '39. It will be seen that when the shaft 29, and consequently the governor plate 34, is driven at a sufliciently high speed, the saidmembers 38 will swing outwardly about their pivots 39 thus imparting some rotative movementto the camming member 36 upon the governor plate 34 and relative to the shaft '29. This form of governor is of somewhat conventional type, and governors of other forms could be substituted therefor.

A plate ordisc 44 is slldably keyed to the shaft 29, as indicated at 45, so that it will rotate witli the shaft but can have movement longitudinally The plate has downwardly-extending shoulders 46 which have. recesses formed therein for cooperation with the camming shoulders 31 of the governor. The plate 44 is yieldably urged in its downward direction by a spring 41 that is interposed between the upper side of theplate and the bearing bushing 32.

The plate has upstanding sleeve-like portio 49 for supportingshoes or clutch elements 49 that .have studs 59 which extend through slots in the walls of the sleeves 48 to prevent displacement of the shoes but permitting vertical move- A spring 5| is interposed bescrew st'ud 52 which is adjustable to vary the spring pressure with which the shoe 49 is urged upwardly. f a

A clutch plate 53 has a hub portion which loosely surrounds the bearing bushing 32 and is vertically supported thereon by screw studs 54 which extend through a flange of the cover plate 55 of the governor casing and into an annular groove in the said hub portion of the clutch plate. The clutch plate is provided with gear teeth on its periphery which mesh with the teeth of the segmental disc l9, so that when rotative movements are imparted to the clutch plate 53, the plate l9 will be *rocked to operate.the control valve II.

It will be seen that when the engine or vehicle,

as the case may be, exceeds a predetermined speed, the governor weights 38 will move outwardly at their inner ends, thus imparting rotary movement to the camming member 36 and therer by forcing the plate, 44 upwardly. Upon upward movement of the plate, the clutch shoes 49 will engage the under side of the clutch plate 53. The shoes 49 will at first slip on the plate 53, so that the disc 53 will not immediately be rotated at the" same rate as the shaft 29. This slippage results in delayed or slower movement of the segmental plate l9 against the tension of its spring 2| so that the control valve I1 is not abruptly or too quickly moved'in a closing direction.

The slippage will be less when there is a more abrupt increase in speed of the shaft 29, and this is desirable because it is desirable that the supply of fuel and the power closely follow any change in speed which it is the object of the governor to control. As the speed is always caused by a change in load at a fixed throttle position, this quick response of fuel application and power to the load is desirable. Conversely, when there is a slight change in speed, the slippage will be greater, but here the movement of the throttle valve has to be less in order to effect a balance between the supply of fuel and load, and in consequence this mechanism permits of either a sudden change of speed or a slight and slow increase of speed with the same smooth action or operation. Adjustment of the tension of the spring 2| will be made to effect desired slippage of the shoes during slow retraction or atslight re-' tractions of the govemor,-thus eflfecting an easing,

governing point-and the governor expands, the

clutch will first slip against the force of the spring 2|, thus slightly delaying valve closing."

When the clutch has'caused the valve I! to be moved to its extreme closed position, theshoes 49 will simply slip on the clutch plate 53. At a stage where the governor weights 38 are not fully expanded, the shoes may not have suflicient pressure against the clutch plate 53 to fully overcome the tension of the spring 2|, with the result that the valve I! will not be moved to its fully retarding position, thus making for smoother movement of the motor. The gear ratio of the segment l9 and plate 53 can be changed in order to givedesired ranges of movement of the valve upon given movement of the plate 53, and this will result in change of time ratio.

Similarly when the speed of the vehicle or of the engine is reduced below a predetermined point, the clutch elements 49- and 53 will be caused to separate and the spring 2| .will cause return of the valve II to its open position, the

return movement being retarded somewhat by the friction of the shoes 49 before they have been governor and,,,the control valve, with the result.

' that there is more gradual movement of the valve I'I relative to the governor and that slight fluctuations in governor speed will not cause I corresponding movements of the control valve,jso that there is absence of unnecessary accelerating and decelerating impulses inlthe engineand mechanism of thecar.

In Fig. I show another form of governorstructure wherein a generator i'l of somewhat usual form, having a shaft 58, 'isdriven by, the engine through gears 58, in a manner similar to that shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The shaft 58 carries a disc 68 and also has looselyf mounted thereon a disc 6|. The disc 6| carries'solenoids '8; which .comprise an opening coil and a movable core 68, the core 63 being provided with a downwardly-projecting stem which carries a shoe M and being yieldably held in its uppermost position by a spring 65. The disc-8i has teeth .on its periphery that mesh with the teeth of the segmental disc l8. y

The generator is of such form as will produce current which will vary with variations in speed of the shaft 58, and such current flows through the operating coils of the solenoids! by way of conductors 86.

- It will be seen that as the speed of the shaft 58 increases to a'point approximating that a which the governor is to be actuated, the value of the generated current will be suflicient to cause .the cores 68 to be moved downwardly against the springs 65 and the shoes 64 to be brought into engagement with the disc 80, so that rotativemagnetic force, and such magnetic force will,

of course, be increased ordecreased changes in speed of the shaft 58. Referring now to Fig. 6, I show a generator 88 which is driven from a moving part of the engine or of the transmission mechanism, through a shaft 88 and belt 18. The output of the generator will, of course, depend upon the speed of the driving members. Current from the generator is supplied through conductors II and 12 to a motor I3, which through driving shaft 14 and a pinion l5 eifects rotative'movement of a gear wheel 16 that through a link I1 is connected to the crank I8 of a control valve I8. A spring anchored at its ends to the crank 18 and to a fixed point on the fuel intake line ll, respectively, yieldably holds the valve 18 in its open position. Adjustable stop screws 82 and 83 limit the range of movement of the crank 18 and hence of the valve 18.

At slow speeds the generator does not have suflicient output to drive the motor 13. speeds increase, the motor I8 will be setinto mowith the tion to drive the gear wheel l8 and to move the valve 18 toward retarding position, such movement being resisted by the spring 80. Therefore, the extent to which the valve 19 is moved will depend upon the rate at which the generator is driven. When the torque of the motor and the tension of the spring are balanced, movement of the valve will cease. Therefore in this form of apparatus there is what may betermed a magnetic slip as compared to the mechanical or frictionalslip of the other structures.

The essence of this invention is that the governor'wili operate through a' close range of speed,

As the ordinary governor will, but it will have the advantage that it will carry this. .same range or otherdesired range of speed for all loads from zero to full, whereas,.the ordinary govemor will require a difference between 50 to'45 miles to eifec't the same thing. p

,Stated in otherwords, an example of the primary functional difference between my forms of governor as above described and the governors of the prior art, arises out of the fact that with an ordinary governor which at a vehicle speed of say 50 miles per hour will have closed the throttle, full throttle opening cannot be had until .the vehicle has decelerated to 45 miles per hour or less. This is an objectionable feature-particularly if at said maximum speed and closed condition of thethrottle the vehicle passes from say a level stretch of road'or downgrade to uphill, because full throttle opening is then instantly desired in order to maintain the maximum speed. This full throttle opening cannot be had until said deceleration is eflz'ected, with consequent unnecessary slowing down of the car and perhaps inability thereafter to attain the desired speed on the hill. On the other hand and under the same maximum speed condition, with the throttle closed, my governor apparatus is such that the .throttle valve will be permitted to open fully upon deceleration to probably not lower than 49 miles perhour, instead of such opening being delayed until deceleration to miles per hour,

and" my throttle will not begin to close until a speed of approximately 50 miles per hour has been again attained. In the prior governors, the throttle would begin to close at about 45 miles per hour.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with an engine and a 'source of motive fluid therefor, of avalve for controlling flow of. said fluid to the. engine, a speed governor driven from the engine, and a device actuated by the governor, through a slip drive and against gradually increasing resistance and the valve, and means for variably opposing.

slippage in said'connection.

3. The combination with an engine and a source of motive fluid therefor, of a valve movable to control flow of said fluidto the engine, a speed governor driven from the engine, a frictional driving connectionbetween the governor and the valve, and meansfor opposing slippage in saidconnection, to an adjustable degree.

4. The combination with an engine and a source of motive fluid therefor, oi a valve for controlling flow of said fluid to the engine, a speed governor driven from the engine, and a yieldable frictional driving connection between the governor and the valve, the degree of yieldability being adjustable independently of the overnor.

5. The combination with an engine and a source of motive fluid therefor, of a valve for controlling flow of said fluid, a member for mov ing the valve, a speed governor driven from the 15 engine, and a frictional driving connection between the governor and said member, calibrated to provide slippage in said connection. 7

6. The combination with an engine and a source of motive fluid therefor, of a valve for controlling flow of said fluid to the engine, a member operable to actuate the valve, a speed governor driven from the engine, a member driven by the governor and effective to move the governor driven from the engine, a member first-named member, when the governor reaches a predetermined speed, and means for retarding movement ofthe valve-actuating member relative to the second-named member,

7. The combination with an engine and a source of motive fluid therefor, of a throttle valve for controlling flowof said fluid to the engine, a member operable to actuate thevalve,

a speed governor driven from the engine, a,

member driven by the governor and efiective to move theffirst-named member, when the governor reaches a predetermined speed, and means for exerting a variable opposing. force to said ,j'movement at various positions of throttlevalve movement. a v

8. The combination with an engine and a source of motive fluid therefor, of avalve for controlling flow of said fluid to the engine, a member operable to actuate the valve,a speed driven by the governor and effective to move the first-named member, when the governor reaches a predetermined speed, means oifering variable opposing force to valve movement, and means for adju'stingthe degree of said variable op posing force.

, 9. The combination with an engine and a source of motive fluid therefor, of a valve for controlling flow of said fluid to the engine, an

oscillatable member for actuating the valve, means for yieldably holding said member 'in one position, a speed governor driven from the engine, a member driven by the speed governor,

and a frictional driving connection between the last-named member and the oscillatory member,

the degree of friction being suflicient to effect movement of the oscillatory member in opposition to said yieldable means, but permitting relative slippage of said two members.

g 10. The combination with an engine and a source of motive fluid therefor, of a valve for speed governor driven from the engine, an automatically variable driving connection between the governor and the valve, and means exerting a variable opposing force to movement of the valve, the variations in rate of transmission through the driving connection effected by predetermined changes in governor movement. GEORGE E.'HOWARD. 

